that is Wal-Mart
Is Wal-Mart a boon to the communities where they are located?
The Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, estimates that one 200-person Wal-Mart store may result in a cost to taxpayers of $4220,750 per year-about $2,103 per employee inpublic assistance, including Section 8
housing vouchers, reduced-cost lunches for dependent children, health care programs, and tax credits for the working poor.
One study identifies 244 Wal-Mart stores and distributing centers in 35 states that have received state and local development subsidies totaling just more then $1 billion. your tax money going for corporate welfare.
Another study of one small town found that big box retail generates a net annual deficit to the city of minus $468 per 1,000 square feet, while specialty retail (locally owned) produces a a net annual return of plus $326 per 1,000 square feet.
An Iowa study found that 84 percent of all sales at the new Wal-Mart stores came at the expense of existing businesses within the same county. Only 16 percent of sales came from outside the county, refuting the notion that Wal-Mart can act as a magnet drawing customers from a wide area and benefiting other businesses in town. There are many othe studies, nicely summarized at www.newrules.org/retail/walmartstudies.html (http://www.newrules.org/retail/walmartstudies.html)
The study doesn't take into account that because Wal-Mart imports most of their goods...many manufacturing jobs and businesses here suffer as well.
Sharp-eyed right wingers will notice two major flaws in the study:
First....the study was done by a Democratic group, and obviously biased, as the Dems are noted for being anti- big business.
Secondly....the entitlemant programs, secion 8 vouchers, cheap lunches, health care, and tax cuts for the poor were voted in by the Democrats themselves....talk about passing the buck.
Get rid of these, and the cost to taxpayers for subsidizing
Wal-Mart is reduced substantially.

Qtec

09-09-2006, 10:20 AM

See what happens when you try to be PC? A totally boring thread that nodody will ever answer to! /ccboard/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
When you have to find a subject for a thread that could not possibly be connected to GW.......... /ccboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
I,m itching to know what the Rep reply will be to the recent US Senate C report!
Q /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif ............no link?

Dagwood

09-09-2006, 10:42 AM

It's a derned good thing that we're edumacated on this here chat thingee madoodle. Lord have mercy on someone who profanes the almighty inst'uchon of Wal-Mart...them thar rednecks from down yonder sout' d mason dixie might take 'ffense to it..ya'll just be mindfull what ya'll profaning on this here internalet, computer thingamabobber.

Dagwoodie

wolfdancer

09-09-2006, 11:42 AM

Q, even though I'm trying to be apolitical ....it's hard to ignore the many reports (propaganda) circulating on the web, and not comment on them. They should then be open to discussion/refute by any interested parties here.
It seems however, that the mere act of citing such an article, even without adding your own personal thoughts, is not PC.
The Snow/Gregory dialogue mirrored the complaints here, a bit. First Tony Snow knocked the Democrats, then he accused Dick Gregory of promoting the Democratic Agenda, by his pointed questions. It's not PC to hear both sides of the story, I guess.
(No link to the Wal-Mart article....because I copied it from a "letter to the editor")The link inside the article backs up the letter.
Seems we have two raging controverseries here in this small community. Wal-Mart is proposing to replace all our small businesses on Main St. with their big box....and then there is another proposal to build an Indian Casino....I was sure we had won the "French-Indian War (the last war that the French ever won)....but now the Indians have decided to get their revenge; get all the money "owed" for the land we took from them.
Oddly enough...it's the residents here that are concerned, and debating....and it's very non-partisan, self-thinking individuals that are in the debate. Imagine that....people deciding for themselves on an issue, instead of letting their party leaders do it for them?????
I've reread this....and while I may have mentioned Tony Snow, there were no references to the "other guy"...so nothing to get anyone upset about....

Chopstick

09-10-2006, 05:34 AM

I don't see how walmart is increasing the taxpayer burden. The jobs that people left to go work there weren't providing benefits or better pay. What's the difference? There is a simple solution to walmart. Just don't go there. I don't. I don't have anything against them, they just don't have things I would normally buy.

Oh yea, I did buy this cool trailer hitch there. It's a chrome Terminator robot head with red eyeballs. When I put on brakes the eyes light up. /ccboard/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

wolfdancer

09-10-2006, 08:32 AM

Charles, while you may have hit on the flaw in the study..."what did the other jobs pay?"
You also have to take into consideration that many small businesses are affected/closed when the big beast moves in. That $30k hardware store manager, now works for Wal-Mart at $10k. Many better paying jobs are lost in the community, and folks forced to work for WM.
What I have against Wal-Mart is this...it's a virtual monopoly...allowed to operate unchecked...and now so strong, they can control their suppliers...causing them to reduce labor costs, and their work force.

pooltchr

09-10-2006, 09:17 AM

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote wolfdancer:</font><hr> What I have against Wal-Mart is this...it's a virtual monopoly...allowed to operate unchecked...and now so strong, they can control their suppliers...causing them to reduce labor costs, and their work force. <hr /></blockquote>

I suppose that Target, Costco, BJ's, etc don't do any business??? In our area, Target has opened 2 brand new stores within 2 miles of each other because there was more business than one store could handle. How can Wal-Mart be a monopoly with that kind of competition?
Steve

Chopstick

09-11-2006, 09:44 AM

There was a time when Sears was in the same position of controlling suppliers. IF it it wasn't Walmart it would be some other entity. I guess I don't see the whole picture. Isn't it just a sign of the times? Ace hardware and Home Depot doing away with the mom and pop hardware store?